1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the invention involves a process for forming radar images. More specifically, the invention involves a process for mapping multiple bounce ghosts (MBGs) and for forming radar images without the deleterious effects of MBGs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radar, at its most basic application, is used to measure the range to a target. With knowledge of the speed of propagation of the wave, i.e., electromagnetic wave, that is transmitted toward the target, it is possible to resolve in a first dimension, the distance to the target, based on the received reflected wave or echo. In order to use radar as an imaging tool, it is necessary to collect information about the cross-range of the target, in addition to the first dimension information. This cross-range information is about a second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can be used to collect data in both the first and second dimensions, through a process wherein the reflected waves are measured at different angles with respect to an object-of-interest. This process is referred to in the art as collecting radar measurements over a synthetic (as opposed to a literal) aperture. By taking various measurements of the object-of-interest from varying aspect angles, it is possible to determine approximate distance to the scattering centers within an object-of-interest in the first dimension and location of these scattering centers within the object-of-interest in the second, cross-range dimension. This process of two-dimensional imaging is commonly referred to as reflection tomography.
SAR systems take advantage of the long-range propagation characteristics of radar signals and the complex information processing capability of modern digital electronics to provide high-resolution imagery. SAR imaging is not restricted by time of day or atmospheric conditions due to its operative frequencies. Consequently, SAR imaging supplements other photographic and optical imaging techniques in order to facilitate environmental monitoring, earth-resource mapping, and military operations which may require broad-area imaging at high resolutions. More specifically, SAR technology provides detailed terrain information to geologists for mineral exploration, environmentalists for determination of oil spill boundaries, navigators for sea state and ice hazard mapping, and the military for reconnaissance and targeting information.
Other systems using reflection data, also referred to as projection measurements, are fault inspection systems using acoustic imaging, submarine sonar for imaging underwater objects and the like, seismic imaging system for tunnel detection, oil exploration, geological surveys, etc., and medical diagnostic tools such as sonograms and echocardiograms.
There have been two basic types of processing techniques used in the field of reflection tomography to reconstruct single-bounce (SB) reflection data. First, the frequency-domain projection-slice theorem takes the measured phase history from the reflection data taken at different aspect angles and generates the reconstruction of an image using Fourier transforms. This reconstruction technique is often used for reconstructing SAR imaging data in order to minimize the computational load that results from necessarily complex processing. A second technique, more prevalent in the medical imaging community, is based on the time-domain back projection techniques. Both of these techniques are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,098 to McCorkle which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.